In the News

February 12, 2014 | Breaking with the pattern of more than a decade, House candidates brought in less money last year than they did two years earlier. Only Democratic incumbents saw their receipts go up.

December 3, 2012 | J.C. Watts, who's being mentioned as a possible RNC chair, has some strong ties to shadow money. A dialysis company that's accused of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid has invested heavily in Washington. And Bloomberg's pro-gun control super PAC likely had an impact.

June 18, 2012 | JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon's time in the Washington spotlight will continue Tuesday when he testifies before the House Financial Services Committee. His company has heavily favored Republicans on the panel with its campaign contributions.

April 25, 2012 | By spring of each election year, most prospective House candidates have decided whether to jump into the frying pan, and the fundraising race is well under way. The first quarter FEC reports give some clues about how competitive the races are likely to be.

October 7, 2011 | A new season means a fresh start for teams like the Houston Texans. Not only is the NFL's newest team the favorite to win its division for the first time, the team ranks as the most politically active since January 2009, according to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

June 15, 2011 | High-ranking congressmen made a concerted effort to financially distance themselves from BP in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, either by reducing or altogether dumping their stock holdings, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of lawmakers' personal financial disclosure documents released Tuesday.

March 11, 2011 | Despite dismal electoral results for Democrats nationally in 2010, fund-raising powerhouse ActBlue had its most prolific period on record. The political committee, which serves as an online conduit of contributions for Democrats, funneled approximately $60 million to federal candidates and committees during the 2010 election cycle.

January 5, 2011 | Ahead of the 2012 presidential election, Nebraska Republicans, upset at Barack Obama's 2008 victory in the state's 2nd Congressional District, may change state law to return their Electoral College vote allocation to the winner-take-all system.

November 30, 2010 | The years leading up to the 2010 midterm election have been an important stretch for gay rights advocates, but you wouldn't necessarily know it by gauging the amount of money invested this cycle by gay and lesbian rights groups and their donors.

November 4, 2010 | The priciest midterm election in U.S. history saw a Republican tide sweep numerous Democrats out of office, as voters anxious about the state of the economy ousted more House incumbents from office than any time since 1948. While several money-in-politics axioms held true, money was not a panacea for embattled politicians.

September 30, 2010 | This fall, Republicans need a net gain of 39 seats to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Some of the seats most likely to flip from the Democratic column to Republican control stem from the retirements of sitting Democratic incumbents.
And when it comes to competing for these open seats, Republicans own a financial advantage.

December 3, 2009 | Insurance giant AIG's political clout is waning as fast as its finances. Since its near-collapse and government bailout last fall, AIG disbanded its lobbying team. It hasn't donated a dollar from its political action committee this year. Furthermore, contributions from individual AIG employees since January are merely a sliver of what they've been in previous cycles -- although a few notable politicians retain financial or political ties to the embattled company. Among these lawmakers is Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, who pledged to return contributions from AIG employees who got post-bailout bonuses but has nonetheless retained tens of thousands of dollars from them given before the bailout.

October 21, 2009 | The South Carolina's 2nd Congressional District is currently the most expensive House race in the country, but it's not the only place in the country where strong third quarter fund-raising totals show incumbents and challengers eagerly battling each other.

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